Sol Trujillo as victim of malicious Rudd racist “adios”…

27May

… only if the unexpressed “arrogant turd” is racial vilification. We colonials take rather unkindly to being labelled “backward”, and I am sure the Singaporeans were not impressed by Trujillo’s stewardship either:

SOL TRUJILLO’S claims on the BBC that Australia is a racist country sit oddly with the dog-whistle politics which Telstra played so hard and so often under his three-year stewardship.

"We are an Australian company, majority owned by Australians. We are not from Singapore or anywhere else," Mr Trujillo’s chairman, Donald McGauchie, told shareholders at the company’s AGM a year ago.

The Singapore reference was a shot at Telstra’s main competitor, Optus, which is owned by Singapore Telecommunications…

So writes Michael West in today’s Sydney Morning Herald. I even find myself in broad agreement with Peter Costello, former Howard treasurer:

There are plenty of reasons to be critical of Sol Trujillo’s performance as chief executive of Telstra. Race is not one of them.

Kevin Rudd was foolish to take a cheap shot – saying "adios" – when Trujillo left. And Trujillo is milking it as evidence that Australia is racist.

But come on, Sol. You came to Australia and took up the prize job in Australia’s telecommunications industry. After four years you are leaving with $30 million of cash and bonuses. And you want us to believe you are a victim of racism?…

Trujillo says he changed Australia. Not in the way he thinks. One change is that corporate boards are going to be more wary of overseas appointments in future. Australian executives are as good as any in the world. A chief executive who understands the country and has a long-term interest in its future is a valuable asset for a company in a sensitive sector.

The Telstra directors could not have been surprised things ended the way they did under Trujillo. His previous track record was there for all to see. In my view, the board has a lot of explaining to do. It’s about judgment and performance. It is not about race.

I expect that victims of the Cronulla riots will give a minute’s silence to reflect upon the racist torments suffered by Sol Trujillo.

Alex

May 27, 2009 at 3:48 pm

Ughhh, unbelievable. I’m happy to read your opinion here, and ones of other big blog sites like DT online and Sydney Spy who agree that this is all ridiculous. I’m yet to read anything sensible about why Sol could be excused at all….

Thanks, all. @Benjamin: It wasn’t even a matter of his being rich, though like most CEOs his pay packet is hard to believe or justify, but the real rub was the way he insisted on inflicting on us an approach to business that was culturally obnoxious. A letter writer in today’s Herald wonders whether we should look to US financial institutions and banks for models on how to conduct business as well.

Of course I condemn that, but could counter that such things and worse happen in many countries, even in India, though I go along with the spirit of that article.

Where I live there are very many Indians; part of Surry Hills is even nicknamed “Little India”, as we have thanks to that several authentic places to experience dhaba food, my local newsagent is Indian, and my immediate neighbours are Indian. No problem there.

On the other hand, this has nothing to do with the odious Sol Trujillo. I mean, even former PM John Howard’s Treasurer pooh-poohs the alleged racism Sol is now moaning about.

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